


don't take love off the table yet

by NahaFlowers



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bi Rose Tyler, Bittersweet, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Rose finds the Doctor kind of sus but she doesn't care because she's cute, The TARDIS is a lil bitch/hardcore Rose/Doctor shipper, Thirteen is v v gay for Rose Tyler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 15:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NahaFlowers/pseuds/NahaFlowers
Summary: The TARDIS takes the Doctor to the Powell Estate, circa 2004. While arguing with the TARDIS that shecan'tbe here and Rosecan'tsee her, Rose overhears. They go for tea.She backed a few steps away from the TARDIS, looking up at the police box with her hands on her hips. "So...the Powell Estate, year..." She brandished her sonic, scanning for a date, "2004." She glared at the TARDIS. "You want me to see Rose Tyler, don't you?"The TARDIS, very helpfully, said nothing.





	don't take love off the table yet

**Author's Note:**

> Between noticing the Yaz/Rose parallels in the latest season, being the biggest Rose/Doctor shipper (apart from my girlfriend) and being a big queer, I had a real hankering for some Thirteen/Rose fic. So I wrote some. Featuring Thirteen and Rose being adorable gays, Feelings with a capital F from Thirteen, charmed confusion from Rose and general cute sad fluffy bittersweetness.

"Oh," said the Doctor, stumbling out of the TARDIS and immediately recognising the place she had brought her. "Oh no." She fumbled with the doors to the TARDIS but they had locked behind her, and apparently weren't letting her back in until she had...done something.   
  
She backed a few steps away from the TARDIS, looking up at the police box with her hands on her hips. "So...the Powell Estate, year..." She brandished her sonic, scanning for a date, "2004." She glared at the TARDIS. "You want me to see Rose Tyler, don't you?"   
  
The TARDIS, very helpfully, said nothing.   
  
The Doctor started pacing. "I can't go and see Rose. I mean, I could, but I couldn't tell her who I was. She wouldn't even _know_ who I was, because she hasn't met me yet. What if I say something or give something away and it completely ruins our meeting..." She paused and glanced at the TARDIS again.   
  
_You're just making excuses. What are you scared of Doctor?_ The TARDIS seemed to be saying. It was also remaining completely ( _stubbornly_ , thought the Doctor) still and silent.   
  
"Oh, like you can talk," said the Doctor, resuming her pacing. "OK, so say I do go and see Rose Tyler...and maybe her mum too, God-"   
  
"What are you saying about my mum?" came a voice from behind her, and the Doctor spun around to find herself face to face with Rose Tyler herself?.   
  
"Rose..." The Doctor breathed.   
  
"And how do you know my name?" Rose asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recognise you. Do you live on the estate?"   
  
"Just moved," The Doctor said, regaining her composure with a grin. "From Sheffield."  
  
"That explains the accent," said Rose with a grin. She frowned again. "But not how you know my name." She folded her arms, waiting expectantly.   
  
"That's...sort of a long story," said the Doctor, laughing weakly. Rose didn't look amused. "Why don't we go to a cafe or something and I'll tell you the whole story."  
  
Rose, taken aback, looked her up and down and then nodded. "Come on," she said, "I know a place."  
  
The Doctor could only follow her.   
  
"So, what's your name?" Rose asked over her shoulder. "If you know mine I think it's only fair I know yours."  
  
"Jo-Jane Smith," The Doctor said, then grinned to herself at the thought of Sarah Jane Smith.   
  
"Nice to meet you, Jane Smith," said Rose, throwing a dazzling smile over her shoulder.   
  
"Nice to meet you too," said the Doctor, only a little bit breathless. "So we're not going up to your flat? I could meet your mum! I'm very good at meeting parents now, Yaz'll tell you."  
  
"Who's Yaz?" said Rose, stopping at a crossing and turning to look at the Doctor. She shook her head. "You're very weird, you know that Jane Smith?"   
  
"I have been told by a few people," The Doctor admitted, following Rose over the road. "Mostly I take it as a compliment."  
  
"You should," said Rose, trying not to laugh. The Doctor felt her heart swell. "We're here," she added, pushing open the door to a greasy spoon cafe.   
  
They queued behind the couple of people who were ordering at this time on a Friday afternoon. Rose ordered a tea, and the Doctor said "Ooh, that sounds good! Haven't had a tea in ages, me!" The lady at the counter looked at her as if she was mad, and so did Rose, a bit, but she was also smiling, so that was OK. More than OK, actually.   
  
"That'll be £2 for the tea," said the counter lady after she had brought out the little metal teapot.   
  
Money, money...the Doctor had always been pretty vague about money...she patted her coat, hoping against hope she'd left some spare change in one of her myriad pockets last time she was in Sheffield with Yaz, Ryan and Graham. "Ah ha!" she said, pulling out a large-ish coin that she thought might be a £2, but it turned out to be a Raxacoricofallapatorian dollar. "Hmm..." she said, frowning at the coin.   
  
Rose looked fascinated. "Never mind, I'll pay," she said quickly, handing the lady some change. "But you owe me!" she grinned.   
  
The Doctor grinned back. "I'll get you chips," she said softly, and Rose brow furrowed for a moment before flattening out, relaxing.   
  
"OK, chips, great. It's a date." Rose smiled but the Doctor was caught off guard by the strength of feelings she still had for Rose Tyler. She just nodded, helplessly, unable to speak (which was unusual for her). Rose took pity on her (or so she thought) and asked about the coin in her hand.   
  
"Where's that from?" she said. "I've never seen a coin like that before."  
  
The Doctor smiled like she had a secret, and shoved the coin back into the depths of her pocket. "Need to know basis, sorry," she said.   
  
Rose pouted. "Well, you can at least tell me how you know my name, when I've never seen you before in my life." She sounded a little put out, but the Doctor put that down to not showing her the coin - she was fascinated now, rather than suspicious.   
  
"I'm a mechanic," she said. "Overheard Mickey talking about you at the pub."  
  
Rose looked surprised, like that wasn't what she expected to hear. "Mickey didn't tell me there was a new mechanic at work...I would've thought he'd have told me if a woman started working there." She glanced up. "No offence," she said. "It's just unusual, a woman mechanic."  
  
"None taken," said the Doctor. "I don't work with Mickey, I work at another place, bit further away. Just, you know, us mechanics, we tend to go to the same pubs."  
  
Rose nodded, like she didn't quite believe the Doctor but she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. "That's not exactly what I'd call a long story, though," she said, narrowing her eyes, but she was teasing now, the Doctor _knew_ \- and she was proved right a moment later. "Do you fancy me?" Rose asked suddenly, eyes sparkling.   
  
The Doctor nearly fell off her chair. "W-what?" she stuttered when she had regained her balance. She could feel herself blushing. She couldn't even bring herself to say no - it was so far from the truth, and Rose - even this Rose, who wasn't her Rose yet, who was so _before_ \- knew it.   
  
Rose blushed as well, although she was smiling. "Well, I'm flattered, 'Jane Smith'." The Doctor could hear the inverted commas around the name she'd given, she knew Rose didn't believe her, but she also knew that she wasn't going to press. All in good time. _Rose would work it out eventually_ , she thought, _perhaps when they were having chips after watching the Earth burn, or maybe when the Doctor introduced themself as John Smith, or perhaps when they met Sarah Jane...but hopefully the timeline wouldn't be messed up too much._ _In fact, perhaps Rose had known about this all along,_ the Doctor thought, remembering how the TARDIS has brought her here and refused to let her leave. 

Perhaps she was always meant to see Rose Tyler one last time.    
  
Rose was talking again. The Doctor pulled herself from her thoughts and paid attention.    
  
"Don't know what you see in me really, seeing as I'm just a shop girl from a London estate." She looked sad for a moment and the Doctor reached over reflexively to take her hand - Rose Tyler should never be sad! Rose looked up and grinned at her. "But never mind, it's been really nice to meet you." She stood up to leave, and the Doctor mirrored her. 

"Well, I think you're going to do great things, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, voice soft but strong with sincerity. 

Rose shook her head but smiled. "You're really sweet, Jane Smith. I hope you have someone just as sweet waiting for you back home."

The Doctor, in a whisper, "No, I don't. Not really."  _ Not like you _ , she thought, but Rose barely knew her and she didn't want to creep her out. 

An 'oh' broke on Rose’s lips, a realisation, perhaps, merely of the Doctor’s alone-ness, or perhaps of something more. Rose leaned forward and kissed the Doctor softly, perfectly, on the lips.

"Will I see you again?" Rose asked.

The Doctor grinned, Rose's kiss still fizzing on her lips.  _ In for a penny, in for a pound _ , she thought. "Not with this face," she said.

Rose looked put out. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Doctor just winked. "Goodbye, Rose Tyler," she said, for the first time, for the last time. _ I love you _ , she thought, but didn't say it. 

The time wasn't right. 


End file.
